Radio Host Fired Over Stripper Tweet

Was Joel North unfairly punished for posting a controversial comment to Twitter?

Many Canadians feel that radio station Coast 101.1 in St. John’s, Newfoundland made the right call firing the announcer after sending the following tweet to a young woman:

While the female tweeter ignored North’s comment, the social media community exploded with reaction coming from numerous users, including St. John’s Status of Women Council.

Coast 101.1’s general manager called the tweet inappropriate, and declared that North was “no longer an employee” of the radio station.

North has since deleted his Twitter account, but has posted a 10-minute video to YouTube where he defends his comment under the banner of free speech. He also provides a positive review of the stripping profession, and states that he in fact resigned from his post at the station.

He called his joke Tweet “harmless” and said that “free speech is something we all need to fight for.”